With apologies to Dr. Death, Storm Raider and the other face-painted members of the Black Hole at Oakland Coliseum, most Carolina Panthers players claimed to know little about the most raucous fan base in the NFL.
They will soon.
While the Panthers prepare for their first trip to Oakland since 2008, they've received the scouting reports on Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr's fourth-quarter heroics and the Raiders' bend-but-don't-break defense.
But it sounds like Panthers coach and Northern California native Ron Rivera will have to give his team a primer on Raider Nation.
Defensive end Kony Ealy was among several players Wednesday who responded to questions about the Black Hole _ specifically Section 105 at the crumbling Coliseum _ with blank stares or silence.
"I don't care about no Black Hole, man. This is the first time for me hearing it," Ealy said. "We've just got to go out there and do our job. The environment changes, we don't. I've been saying that for weeks."
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton said he'd heard of the Black Hole, but did not expand.
Wide receiver Philly Brown didn't know much about the Raiders growing up in Philadelphia, and said Sunday's game afforded him the first opportunity to study their team.
But Brown seemed intrigued when told about Raiders fans who wear elaborate, silver-and-black face paint, spiked shoulder pads and lots of skull-and-crossbones regalia to games.
"It sounds like a fun environment to play in," Brown said. "But I've never heard of it."
Rivera, who grew up about 100 miles from Oakland, has relatives who are still diehard Raiders fans. He expects some of them to show up Sunday in Raiders' colors.
"I'm not kidding. I'm serious," Rivera said. "They love me. But they'll have their Raiders' (gear) underneath their Panthers' gear."
